State Park Campsites Getting Booked-Up

UNDATED - Despite a glitch in the online reservation system earlier this year, the number of camping reservations at State Parks is up so far this year.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says cabin and campsite reservations are up four-percent for this Saturday, for the Memorial Day weekend.

Reservations are also up four-percent for arrival dates between Memorial Day and Labor Day. As of May 17, the total reservations made for the summer were just over 33,000, compared with about 32,000 a year ago at this time.

Up to one-third of the campsites at Minnesota State Parks and Recreation areas are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Last year over 7.5 million people visited a state park or recreation area -- down from 9.5 million the year before. And nearly 748,000 camped at a state park last year, down from the little over one-million in 2010. The numbers were down last year because of the three-week state government shutdown.